Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-12-15

ment in the camp below that indicated prep
aration for flight. However, his attention
was arrested by a sentence, half suggest
i've, half-timid, and altogether remarkable,
ventured by Lydia: 81 had thought of ask
ing Mr.. Fairfax TO call with me at Chateau
Dor
II came here with the intention of receiv-
ing no visits but those Of my oldest friends
said Natalie, frigidly; '1and 1 see no reason
why l should alter my intention Besides,
my dear Lydia. i leave Chateau Dor in a
few days. ut the latest, fer Lake Maggiorc."
Lydia said no more, and the two girls,
evidently both feeling a little uncomforta-
bic. and yet both striving 10 conceal their
emotion. prepared to depart.
DICK, now executing his retrograde move
ment, arose and found Fairfax-who by this
time had recovered his equanimity. and
shaken of the bliss aroused by the fair
Natalie's words-in the midst of some calcu-
lation or other, using his knee as a table
and a leaf OF his diary as note-paper.
Have they started, Dick.' asked he, sud-
denly.
No. but they are on the point of start
ing.'
Fairfax turned to the left in the main
road. and whipped up his horse to greater
speed.
''Are You not going back to the vilagea"
.Gueried Richard.
''Wait,' laconically answered the imper-
turbable Fairfax.
A short distance from the brook he
refined up and drove the chaise among the
tsees. He then led the way to the road.
The noise OF gathering hoofs coming nearer,
caused the pair to retreat behind the bushes
that had sheltered Fairfax the afternoon
previously. The were ensconced none too
soon.
The two girls appeared directly, and rode
to the pool, where they allowed their horses
to drink. Natalie leaped to the ground and
stood by Medji, holding the reins in her
hands. Fairfax took note of this, and also
of the fact that the servants again delayed
their appearance.
ut is to be hoped" sadly remarked Nat
allie, ''that those servants Will not forget
any thing to-day. Catharine has just con-
fessed that Dimitri and she had already
passed the brook and gone into one of the
wood-roadS to gather some wild flowers,
when they suddenly missed my camp-chair,
and, to save time, made a short cut through
the forest, coming out by the brook where
you see the opening yonder." (This made
clear to Fairfax the my stery Of the sudden
disappearance of the servants yesterday
Possibly they may have dropped my
knife, although / am sure I put it in my
pocket, just before starting" AYE! SO you
had, fair maiden, but even Princesses have
holes in their pockets.)
With that she began, absent-rnindedy V, to
hum. But Lydia, interrupting her, gayly
trilled:
"'I know not what il meaneth,
That am so sad to-day;
But song OF the times departed
Will not from my brain away
''You are constantly humming that tAd-
dis.' Do you know it, Natalie ulaner'
Whereat, Natalie, infected by her flow of
spirits, laughed and said:
2k~e - eli = = ~
after all, what foolish creatures we are.''
Lydia, not comprehending this irrelevant
remark at first, stared; then, remembering
the eccentricities of her friend, ventured
the equally irrelevant AID non-commi.tal
statement that:
''The whole sum and substance of the
matter is, as Solomon says: Tear God and
-aheml-I add, obey your husband, when
you get one.''
Laughing heartily, they could not have
told why, both dashed away. two magnif-
cent specimens of womanhood, noble
hearted girls, fearless, frank and true.
The all-observant Fairfax had noted, eau
tiously, one other fact-that the stone
by which Natalie had mounted lay directly
Willow-tree.
Oxford was now all eagerness to return
to the village Immediately.
''Wait,'' said Fairfax, putting out his
hand to restrain him and looking steadily Ii
the direction whence the girls had first ap-
peared.
They waited-pcrhaps ten minutes-Fair-
fax silent and thoughtful, revolving some
scheme or other in his brain, but Observant
all the time; Dick, too, quiet, but chiefly
from curiosity.
A carriage was heard approaching Il
contained the lovers, CathariRe and Dimitri.
who seemed more oblivious than ever to the
surrounding world. There horse was,
clearly, the only one of the party who hid
his wits about him. Being sagacious and
docile beast, with a vision of oats in the dis
lance, he was directing himself homeward
with energetic steps.
After they had passed out of sight, Fair
fax then motioned to his friend to follow
him. Going over TO the stone from which
Natalie had mounted, the pair sat down.
''As told you,'' began Fairfax, Il leave
tonight for Havre, or for Paris, via st.
Malo; and want you to leave tomorrow
night at the same hour-both of US OStensi-
bly, not to return. You will tell landlord
Baudray that you are going to Paris-under-
stand? l shall inform him, that am going
to take steamer to America. tomorrow
l want to create firm impression that we
have gone cleared out, vamosed the
ranch. and are hundreds of miles away
from this place.
Now continued he, ''as TO your occu-
patton while here, my boy; first of all, let
me retail to you several important items of
interest. I have noticed that twice already
the Princess has ceased sketching just be-
fore sunset; that the servants follow at
some distance behind: that she dismounts,
waters that black charger and mounts from
this stone on which we are now sitting, and
that your friend, Lydia, has been with her
but once"
Now" said he, speaking slowly to i'm
press his listener, my boy, 1 must ask you
,XN:x
Willis &. g.